Tool for cleaning snow sampling tubes



1961 D. K. DAUBERT 2,966,688

'roox. FOR CLEANING snow SAMPLING TUBES Filed Jan. 22, 1959 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR DAVID K. DAUBERT 94 4 7 BY MQORNWS UnitedStates Patent TOOL FOR CLEANING SNOW SAMPLING TUBES David K. Daubert, 1162 S. Race St., Denver 10, Colo.

Filed Jan. 22, 1959, Ser. No. 788,475

2 Claims. (Cl. 15104.1)

(Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) A non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license in the invention herein described, throughout the World for all purposes of the United States Government, with the power to grant sublicenses for such purposes, is hereby granted to the Government of the United States of America.

This invention relates to a tool for cleaning snow sampling tubes and has among its objects the provision of such a tool which can be quickly adjust to varying lengths, is light in weight, is simple to operate, can be conveniently packed and carried, is durable, and will operate efficiently to remove snow, ice particles and dirt from snow sampling tubes.

The tool in general, comprises a rod and a locking mechanism associated therewith, for use in combination with a pipe having an abutment at its forward end, by means of which the length of the pipe can be adjustably increased up to a length substantially equal to the length of the rod itself and then locked in such lengthened position. Such adjustment enables the tool to reach all parts of the snow sampling tube when inserted therein to clean it.

Snow sampling tubes are conventionally employed to obtain samples of snow from varying depths of snowbanks. By analysis of the snow samples, the amount of water available for run off in the springtime can be estimated.

A snow sampling tube, as for example, the Federal Mount Rose snow sampler, is an open-ended duraluminum tube in 2 /2 foot sections, into the lower end of the first section of which, that is, its forward end, is shrunk-fit a 1.485 inch (inside diameter) case-hardened, cold-rolled steel snow cutter bit. The tube sections are assembled in lengths up to 20 feet with threaded couplings of duraluminum. The tube has slots in its wall and a scale on its outer surface for observing and measuring the length of the core obtained. Another example in the Mount Rose snow sampler which differs from the Federal Mount Rose snow sampler is that it is steel throughout, is either in one piece or in 5 foot sections, and has a snow cutter bit with an inside diameter of 1.5 inches. Such snow sampling tubes, their manner of operation, and the procedures for their utilization are set out in the United States Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication No. 380 issued June 1949, entitled Snow Surveying. Page 10, in particular, of this publication, depicts a snow sampling tube.

In operating the snow sampling tube to cut the core, the sampling tube, cutter bit end first, is forced vertically downward through the snow cover until it reaches the ground. With the cutter bit at or slightly below ground level and the sampIing tube standing vertically, the reading corresponding to the top of the snow is observed. To prevent loss of core through the cutter bit end while the sampling tube is withdrawn from the snow, sufiicient soil is gathered in the cutter to serve as a plug. The length of snow core obtained is observed through the ice tube slots and read on the scale on the outside of the sampling tube.

The weight of the snow core discloses the water content of the snow cover at the point of sampling. The core is dumped by allowing it to slide backward from the cutter bit through the tube, but usually the sampling tube must be tapped against a solid object on the ground.

In actual field conditions, considerable difficulty of a nuisance and delaying manner is encountered in keeping the sampling tube clear of obstructive material and even in dumping the core. The use of coatings is desirable but inadequate. Tapping of the tube against an object is also useful but too often is also inadequate. The surveyor often has to utilize a tree, stump, or other object large enough to provide solid resistance to jar the core loose. This frequently fails and also may not be available at the site. In many cases, no amount of jarring will loosen the material, and the surveyor resorts to probing with anything available such as sticks, a ski pole, etc. This is hard on ski poles and the surveyors are reluctant to use them for this purpose. Furthermore, such methods tend to pack the material tighter instead of removing it. Results of such methods are also time consuming and the surveyor may sometimes give up in his attempt to get a reasonably accurate sample.

The problem involved requires a tool which will remove water droplets, snow and ice particles, and lodged. cores from the snow sampling tube quickly, easily, and. cleanly. It should have the convenience of compact size and light weight, and still provide suflicient length l0 reach and lodged material in the sampling tube. The cleaning tool provided by this invention accomplishedi these purposes effectively.

According to the invention, a tool is provided for' cleaning the interior of an open-ended snow samplingi tube of dirt, snow, and ice particles lodged therein. The: tool comprises a pipe, a rod having an end longitudinally slidable in the pipe, and a compressible sleeve carried". by said end of the rod. Compression of the sleeve causes: it to expand into engagement with the inner wall of the pipe when the rod is inserted therein to lock the rod in: a desired adjusted position. The tool also provides; screw means having a screw member, as for example, a screw, and a threaded member, as for example, a nut,,. adapted to receive the screw member, tightening of the-- screw means operating to compress the sleeve. One of these members, as, for example, the nut, is secured to the: sleeve and the other members, as for example, the screw, is secured to said end of the rod and rotated by rotation. of the rod. The tool further includes a spade, attachedi to one end of the pipe, the rear of the spade forming an: abutment along the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The" sleeve and the member secured thereto are prevented from rotation by the abutment when said end of the rod! and the parts carried thereby are brought into engagement; with the abutment.

As a result of this structure, the toolmay be adjusted to a desired length by sliding the rod into the pipe to bring the end of the rod and the parts carried thereby into engagement with the abutment, the rod then rotated to compress the sleeve sufiiciently to prevent its rotation but not sufliciently to lock it against longitudinal movement, the rod then slid in the pipe to the desired adjusted position, and the rod then rotated to compress the sleeve into tight engagement with the inner wall of the pipe and lock the rod in the desired adjusted position.

To clean the snow sampling tube containing dirt, snow, and ice particles, the entire tool is inserted into the tubeand then turned therein whereupon the cutter spade will loosen and remove snow cores and core particles which would not otherwise fall out. Thereafter, after clearing: the tube of snow core and debris, the toolis pushed-into one open end of the tube. Short thrusting shakes are then applied'whereupon the tool will drop out of the other open end where it can be grasped and pulled through.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partially broken away, of. the cleaning tool in assembled position at its shortest length;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partially broken away, of the cleaning tool in a position adjustedto a length longer than that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the expansible plug or locking mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a view along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 isa sectional view along the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing, the tool is provided with a pipe 11- having a female threaded rear end 12 adapted to receive a drilled bushing 13. The front end 14 of pipe 11 encloses a rear portion of a shaft 15 which is fixed in position insaid pipe by rivets 16 and 17, each of which passes through aligned openings in the pipe and shaft. The front end of shaft 15 is provided with a slot 18 in which is mounted a cutter spade 19 having a shank 20 and a scraper blade 21, the cutter spade being fixed in saidslot 18 by rivets 22 and 23, each of which passes through aligned openings in the shaft 15 and shank 20 of the spade 19. Preferably pipe 11, shaft 15, and spade 19 are made of aluminum.

The-tool further provides a rod 31, preferably made of aluminum, having apthreaded rear end 32 adapted to carry a disc assemblycomprising a series of washers 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37, p-referablymadeof plastic, which are spaced, and serve as bearings, between a series-of flexible,-

notched wiper discs-38, 39, 40, and 41, preferably made ofrubber, and a sleeve 42, preferably made of wood or plastic, these washers, wiper discs, and sleeve being fixed on said threaded end 32 by nuts 43, 44, and 45. The notches of each ofsaid wiper discs bear a staggered relationship to the notches of each of the other discs. This staggered arrangement of the notched wiper discs serves to wipe all moisture and dirt out of the snow sampling tube as the tool is pulled therethrough in cleaning it. One of such discs showing notches 46 is depicted in Fig. 6. A hand grip 47, preferably of rubber, covers sleeve 42 and nuts 44 and 45.

The front end 55 of rod 31 carriesa locking mechanism afiixed thereto comprising a nut 56, a screw 57, a.

compressible sleeve 58, preferably made of soft rubber, and an annular bearing member, such as a washer 59, which is coaxial with, and loosely positioned about, the screw. The fiat (butt) end of nut 56 is drilled and female threaded through its center along its longitudinal axis to receive screw 57 while the opposite (open) end of nut 56 is of a depth and diameter sufficient to permit free reverse movementof the head of the screw 57 through ashort distance therein, preferably through a travel distance of about inch. The compressible sleeve 58 is.

through the fiat (butt) end of nut 56, then through the; central opening of compressible sleeve 58, thence through.

washer 59, and finally into a centrally located slot 60 along the longitudinal axis of the front end '55 of rod 31. The flat (butt) end of nut 56 is cement bonded, as by adhesive 65, to the forward end of sleeve 58. The mechanism is then fixed to rod 31 by rivet 66 which passes throughaligned ,openingsin rod 31 and through an aligned openingtinscrewt57.

The tool is assembled for operation, as depicted in Fig. 1, by slipping the drilled bushing 13 over the empty, threaded rear end of rod 31 and the rod, carrying the locking mechanism (assembled as above described), is then inserted into pipe 11, forward end first, after which the bushing 13 is screwed into the threaded rear end of the tube. This bushing serves as a retainer to keep the rod assembly and the pipe 11 together as a unit, and also functions as slide bushing for rod 31. Thereafter, nut 43, washer 33, disc 38, washer 34, disc 39,.washer 35, disc 4%, washer 36, disc 41, washer 37, nut 44, sleeve 42, and nut 45 are placed on the threaded rear end 32 of rod 31 in that order, thereby fixing all these parts on the said rear end of the rod. The notches of each of the discs are arranged so that they are staggered out of line. Grip 47 is then placed over the sleeve 42 and nuts 44 and 45. In this position, rod 31 will slide easily in pipe 11 until the locking mechanism is activated.

To activate the locking mechanism, the rod 31 is pushed into pipe 11 to its shortest position, that is, until the open end of nut 56 carried on rod 31 bears tightly up against the rear end of shaft 15, which thus serves as an abutment, in the front end of pipe 11 and becomes immovable. This position is illustrated in Fig. 1. Rod 31 is then turned clockwise until the head of screw 57, moving forwardly, causes washer 53 to be compressed against compressible sleeve 58. In this position, the tool begins to operate to compress sleeve 58 lengthwise between washer 59 and nut'56 and expand it laterally until it bears against the inner wall of pipe 11. Only a slight amount of expansion of the compressible sleeve provides enough friction against the inner wall of pipe 11 to prevent it from turning with screw'57 and rod 31. Tightening up the screw will expand the sleeve 58 sufiiciently to lock it securely to the inner wall of pipe 11.

When it is desired to adjust the length Olf the tool, it is first activated as described above. The screw device is then loosened by turning rod 31 counter-clockwise enough to permit some sliding of rod 31 in pipe 11 but not free sliding, and the rod is thereafter pulled out or pushed in to desired position, and the screw again turned clockwise to tighten sufiiciently to prevent slippage. Such an adjusted position is illustrated in Fig. 2. During such tight ening, the sleeve remains expanded and in tight relationship with the inner walls of pipe 11 preventing its rotation and the rotation of the nut 56.

It is to be noted that if the friction (resistance) is lost in the length-adjusting process, no problem has'been" created. To regain the resistance needed to activate the locking device, rod 31 is simply pushedinto its lowest position in pipe 11; as described above, the lockingcontaining lodged material, the entire device is inserted into the snow sampling tube usually with the forward end" carrying the cutter spade 19 being placed-intothe open end of the sampling tube nearest the" obstruction; The

scraper blade 21 of cutter spade 19 is thenused to loosen and-remove cores or coreparticls which-will not fall out of the snow sampling tube. Most such trouble occurs in the cutter bit of the snoW'sampling-tube. If ice particles adhere to the inside of'the snow sampling tube, the scraper blade edges will remove them, a turning motion being used to brush them off. After clearing the snow sampling tube of core and debris, the tool is pushed into the snow sampling tube far enough to insert the-wiper disc assembly (represented by washers 33 to 37, discs 38 to 41, and nuts 43 and 44), all the wayinto thesnow sampling tube. Then, holding the snow samplingtube in--one.-.hand-, it is-=given several'quick, short thrusting- "ma I shakes. The tool will drop through the other end of the snow sampling tube where it can be grasped and pulled through wiping the moisture and dirt out of the snow sampling tube. This feature eliminates the need for a tool as long as the sampling tube, as the tool can be started through either end of the snow sampling tube. These operations can be performed with the tool adjusted to any length desired except when removing obstructive material in which case the rod 31 should be extended to adequate length.

The notches 46 in the edges of wiper discs 38 to 41 are an important feature of the tool. Unnotched discs which fit the inside diameter of the snow sampling tube closely enough to Wipe it clear would be ditlicult to pass through the cutter bit of the snow sampling tube which is of somewhat smaller diameter than that of the snow sampling tube and would tend to bunch and wedge in the snow sampling tube. The notched discs 38 to 41 when mounted on rod 31 in spaced arrangement and with the notches of each staggered out of line provide a thorough and efiective wiping tool for the inside of the snow sampling tube. The notched edges, also provide the flexibility and low friction factor needed to permit easy passage of the assembly through the snow sampling tube.

I claim:

1. A tool for cleaning the interior of an open-ended snow sampling tube of dirt, snow, and ice particles lodged therein, comprising a pipe, a rod having an end longitudinally slidable in the pipe, a compressible sleeve carried by said end of the rod, compression of the sleeve causing it to expand into engagement with the inner wall of the pipe when the rod is inserted therein to lock the rod in a desired adjusted position, screw means having a screw member and a threaded member adapted to receive said screw member, tightening of the screw means operating to compress the sleeve, one of said members being secured to the sleeve and the other member being secured to said end of the rod and rotated by rotation of the rod, and a spade attached to one end of said pipe, the

when said end of the rod and parts carried thereby are brought into engagement with the abutment, whereby the rod may be slid into the pipe to bring the end of the rod and carried parts into engagement with the abutment, the rod then rotated to compress the sleeve sufficiently to prevent its rotation but not sufiiciently to lock it against longitudinal movement, the rod then slid in the pipe to the desired adjusted position, and the rod then rotated to compress the sleeve into tight engagement with the inner wall of the pipe and lock the rod in the desired adjusted position.

'2. A tool for cleaning the interior of an open-ended snow sampling tube of dirt, snow, and ice particles lodged therein, comprising a pipe, a rod having an end longitudinally slidable in the pipe, a screw secured to said end of the rod, a nut threaded on the screw, said screw being rotated by rotation of the rod, a compressible sleeve loosely positioned about said screw between said rod and said nut, being secured to said nut and, when compressed, ex-

panding into engagement with the inner wall of the pipe when the rod is inserted therein to lock the rod in the pipe in a desired adjusted position, tightening of said screw operating to compress the sleeve, and a spade, attached to one end of the pipe, the rear of said spade forming an abutment along the longitudinal axis of the pipe, said sleeve and nut secured thereto being prevented from rotation by said abutment when said nut is brought into engagement with the abutment, whereby the rod may be slid into the pipe to bring the nut into engagement with the abutment, the rod then rotated to compress the sleeve sufiiciently to prevent its rotation but not sufiiciently to lock it against longitudinal movement, the rod then slid in the pipe to the desired adjusted position, and the rod then rotated to compress the sleeve into tight engagement with the inner Wall of the pipe and lock the rod in the desired adjusted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 175,628 Schulte Apr. 4, 1876 2,542,967 Waechter Feb. 20, 1951 2,675,570 Sacks Apr. 20, 1954 

